As we mentioned in our most recent blog, which delved into the history of Boone High School boys basketball, today, we will provide more detail on the Toreadors 1931 season which concluded with a state championship victory.
EARLY IOWA HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL PLAY
In the earliest days of boys high school basketball in Iowa, Boone High School certainly held its own with high finishes, including championships in state competition hosted by Iowa State University in the 1920's. Not all schools offering the sport were involved and, in fact, a separate slate of schools were invited to similar state competition hosted by the State University of Iowa.
In 1923, the Iowa High School Athletic Association made prep sports more "official" with the addition of game and player eligibility rules and better opportunities for all of the state's high schools to become involved in single state tournament play.
Television had not arrived and the sport gained in popularity with high school sports becoming a popular community gathering.
The Boone High School boys basketball team of 1931 was involved in an early indication of that widespread popularity.
1931 BHS BOYS TEAM WINS TITLE BEFORE RECORD CROWD
Boone High School boasts one basketball state championship. It occurred in 1931 when the Toreador boys completed an outstanding season with a state championship victory over Muscatine, 16-11, at Drake Fieldhouse in Des Moines.
That victory was big news for the Boone community but, on that occasion, the game alone, was just half of the story.
That night, the Boone-Muscatine championship game drew the largest crowd to ever watch any basketball game in the state's history, high school, collegiate or otherwise.
A total of 8,000 fans were jammed into the fieldhouse and another 1,500 were "turned away" at the gate by Police/Fire regulations.
According to the Des Moines Register, "four Muscatine rooters attempted to "crash the gate" after the championship game had started and officials closed the doors for lack of standing room." The foursome reportedly pleaded with the officers, telling them of their long drive from Muscatine to root for their team, but to no avail.
The Register wrote that the Boone High School band made it to the arena. They were described as being "in the northeast corner in red and green capes and caps and they "played valiantly.""
Muscatine's state championship game loss was their first of the season in 23 starts. Meantime, Coach Harold (Bud) Fisher's team had lost four times during the regular season, including a pair of setbacks at the hand of Central Iowa Conference rival Marshalltown, who dropped Coach Fisher's men to second place in the final league standings.
The Toreadors clicked at the right time with 12 consecutive wins late in the season to boost there final record to 20-4.
In early tournament play, Boone stopped Sac City, 39-13, and Webster City, 23-11.
In the state meet, Henderson was a 39-26 victim and Boone then defeated Alta, 29-17.
Boone's semifinal round opponent was Des Moines Roosevelt, a perennial contender for top state honors, and boasting one of the greatest high school players in Iowa history.
Marcellus McMichael was just a freshman at the time but, eventually, became a very rare four-time, first team all-state performer.
In that upset victory over Roosevelt, the Toreadors took a 10-6 halftime lead and held off the Roughriders, 16-15. That was an afternoon game and the championship game was later that night.
According to a newspaper account regarding the championship game, "Boone really had little trouble in disposing of the river team after the first half." The score at halftime was 6-6.
A quick Muscatine basket provided an 8-6 lead but BHS then outscored their rival, 10-3, the remainder of the game.
Center Meryl (Beach) Beauchamp and Captain Oc Dettman both earned all-state honors.
The other members of the state championship team were Randall Peterson, James (Bumps) Schall, Donald Johnson, Pete Canakes, Donny Carlson, Lawrence (Putt) Briley, Harold (Chinny) Chinstedt and Kenneth Mann.
Coach Fisher had an outstanding seven years as a successful football and basketball coach at BHS. Yes, that's the Fisher who then left work as an educator, a teacher/coach, to begin a popular Boone business, Fisher's Shoe Store.
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THE CHANGING PREP ATHLETIC LANDSCAPE
Years ago, many of us "survivors" were so heavily ensconced in the Central Iowa Conference we thought a change could/would never occur.
That was a period from the 1920's up to the 1960's and long time members of that proud league were Ames, Boone, Marshalltown, Grinnell, Newton and Oskaloosa. During a majority of that time, school enrollments of the six were similar and, due to continuing state championship success, it was felt a change would never occur.
However, as we know......change is inevitable.....and, eventually, due, primarily, to increased enrollments at Ames, Marshalltown and Newton, change did occur, In truth, it became more and more difficult for the smaller trio to compete.
The end result was the breakup of one of the oldest and most successful prep conferences ever.
Locally, the result was that Boone became a member of different conferences and competition against many different schools the years after. Grinnell and Oskaloosa faced the same challenges.
As of this very day, Ames and Marshalltown are members of a cumbersome 19-member Central Iowa Metro Conference which features mostly Des Moines Metro members. Newton is kind of an outlier, trying to find its way "somewhere."
GUESS WHAT? Ames and Marshalltown now find themselves as the "little guys" in their league and they seek change and a better competitive situation.
As Ames High School Athletic Director Judge Johnston proclaimed, "the disparity of the suburban growth versus our growth is huge." When he started at AHS, the school had the state's 13th largest enrollment. Now, its 29th.
Ames has had the state's best girls swimming program recently with nine state championships and the boys basketball team has been ranked third best in the state this season while earning a berth in the state tourney.
However, Ames boasts 21 sports and Johnston said, as Athletic Director, he has to look out for ALL his teams. He admits that his school just doesn't have the depth and number of athletes to go toe-to-toe with the suburban schools anymore.
Marshalltown Superintendent Theron Schutte, a former Boone Superintendent, added, "in the past five years, in the sports of volleyball, boys and girls soccer, boys and girls basketball, baseball and softball, non-suburban schools accounted for only 16.5% of the wins in those sports....376 wins, compared to suburban schools 1,899 wins."
The final result of this discrepancy is that 10 non-suburban schools are planning to leave the CIML to create a new conference where, "students can have a more equitable and successful interscholastic experience."
As of this writing, its not paper official yet but it appears this will be the end result.
SUBURBAN SCHOOLS Ankeny, Ankeny Centennial, Dowling Catholic, Johnston, Southeast Polk, Urbandale, Valley, Waukee and starting next year, Waukee Northwest will remain as CIML schools.
NON-SUBURBAN SCHOOLS Ames, Des Moines East, Des Moines Hoover, Des Moines Lincoln, Des Moines North, Des Moines Roosevelt, Fort Dodge, Marshalltown, Mason City and Ottumwa will form a new league.....perhaps, the Big 10.
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BOONE CONNECTED DEATHS: Margarete Fibikar, 81, Boone........Donald Brandt, 91, Boone. Born near Boxholm. Boxholm HS-47. A farmer who had an interest in music and photography. Did some work for Vigortone and Archer Petroleum. Dressed as Uncle Sam, he drove his 100 year old bicycle in area parades..........Robert (Bob) Condon, 93, Burnsville, MN. Born in Boone. He operated his dad's meat market in Boxholm in early years. Army vet. Worked for gas companies in Ogden, LaPorte City and Burnsville before retirement in 1987. Survivors include his wife, son and two daughters.
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Worldwide Korner headquarters are located at 928 South Jackson, Boone, Iowa 50036-4932. Phone number is 515-432-1530. Leave a message. To email your stories/memories/comments.....
kelleyskorner1@gmail.com.
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